Prophetic Wisdom

 Jesus’ own Wisdom teaching was not a doctrine of ascetic renunciation, but rather an invitation to reckless self-abandon to love. Jesus modeled a life of faithful surrender to the unpredictable movement of the divine Spirit. --- The Gospel of Q, Jesus' Prophetic Wisdom 

 When we examine the teaching of Jesus that we know about, we see his instruction about how to be, how to live, what to be. We do not see a description of what we have to believe,  or of any dogma in particular, other than love and surrender to God's Way.

His teaching is very much aligned with the wisdom teachings of the ages. Of course he has his unique view of it. In agreement with most wisdom traditions, he includes time apart, being still, emptying of the little self, listening to God's voice, following God's guidance, being good to everyone, and continually trying to be a better person. 

I recommend the book from which I took the quote at the top of this entry. Q is generally agreed upon by the majority of Biblical scholars to be the document that Matthew and Luke used for the material they have in them but it is not in Mark. In this book he pulls out that material, so you can read it all together, and so you can see the great wisdom and teaching that he's offering and calling us to. 

I think throughout history some, maybe many,  have belabored and mutilated some of his points, so that it's hard to know what he really taught.  It is thought that Q was written between the year 50 and 70, so, if this is accurate, it predates the Gospels. 

Even before I knew about Q, I was particularly drawn to the parts that turned out to be from Q. I find this material from Q has been the guiding light of my life. I hope it will be for you too. It cuts through the murky twists and turns of theology, back to a time before speculation distorted Jesus: precious message.  Just maybe this gives us a glimpse closer to sitting at his feet. 

How Many Moons?

In every puddle , in every lake , In every ocean, and in every. body of  water  there is a reflection of the moon each night. Yet there is only one moon orbiting our earth.

So it is with God. There is one Supreme Divine Energy reflected in all beings, all creation. 

It is up to us to clean out all sludge accumulated in us so that we can clearly shine that light. 

Forgive, release, take charge of thoughts, words and deeds, spend time in silence, send send deep roots into the Infinite One. 

You will thereby be the best person you can be. The Light of God will shine without distortion through you. And you will realize all, everyone is sacred, seeded with this Light. All will be well 

The Gopel of Truth

 The place to which they extend their thoughts is their root, which elevates them through all levels to the Father. --- The Gospel of Truth

In 1947 ancient writings From the very beginnings of Christianity were dug up in the deserts in Egypt They became known as the Nag Hammadi find, and later  were called Gnostic Gospels, although not all of them were exactly Gnostic. The Gospel of Truth is one of those ancient manuscripts. 

There is so much in this Gospel that is fascinating. I am currently rereading it and discovering gems that are meaningful. The above quote struck me this morning. Is the root in us reaching to God through thought, word, and deed, which grounds us in spiritual principles? As we extend and stretch our roots into the spiritual domain, we are fed, guided, and lifted. All of life is different. 

 A question to ask ourselves then, Is what are the predominant thoughts and words and deeds we are engaging in regularly in our  lives?  Are we focused on the trivia of life, the outer of life, ultimately meaningless things? Or are we rooted in the More?  Are we simply skimming the surface? Are we sinking our roots deep?

The prophet's words come to mind, "Like A tree planted by the water, I shall not be moved."